Off the Grid: Sally breaks down Paste BN's daily crossword puzzle, For My Next Trick
There are spoilers ahead. You might want to solve today's puzzle before reading further! For My Next Trick
Constructor: Matthew Luter
Editors: Amie Walker & Amanda Rafkin
Comments from Today’s Crossword Constructor
Matthew: The more I construct, the more I try to keep my eyes and ears open for how theme and title ideas can pop up in unexpected places. This one began, as best as I can recall, from hearing a song by the band Cheap Trick, and then making a mental note that lots of words could precede “trick” to form common phrases. After talking over some of those phrases via email with USA Today editors, we arrived at this theme set, and now here we are with this grid. Title aside, I hope it’s a smooth, not very trick-y solve. Please enjoy!
What I Learned from Today’s Puzzle
- SIR (31A: Title for two Beatles) I put this in the "What I Learned" section because although I know Paul McCartney as SIR Paul McCartney (knighted in 1997), I didn't know which of the other Beatles – George Harrison (1943-2001), John Lennon (1940-1980), or Ringo Starr – had earned this designation. I even asked my favorite Beatles fan (my husband) and he didn't know either. It turns out that it is SIR Ringo Starr, who was knighted in 2018. Now I know.
- BOISE (49A: Idaho city with a famously blue football field) Albertsons Stadium on the BOISE State University campus has a blue football field. The blue playing field was installed in 1986 and was the first non-green playing surface in football history.
Random Thoughts & Interesting Things
- ALDA (1A: "Marriage Story" actor Alan) Marriage Story is a 2019 movie about a married couple (played by Scarlett Johansson and Adam Driver) navigating a divorce. Alan ALDA portrays lawyer Bert Spitz.
- TOON (14A: Any "Bob's Burgers" character, for short) Bob's Burgers is a sitcom centered on Bob and Linda Belcher and their children. As the name of the show suggests, the Belchers own a burger restaurant. Since Bob's Burgers is an animated show, all of the characters on it are TOONs. Although I don't watch Bob's Burgers on a regular basis, I have seen a few episodes at the insistence of my son who is a fan.
- LEON (24A: Name hidden in "not a single one") I enjoy the occasional hidden name clue. There's LEON hiding in "not a single one."
- TED (30A: "Bill & ___'s Excellent Adventure") Bill & TED's Excellent Adventure is a 1989 sci-fi comedy film. It is the first movie in the Bill & Ted franchise. Alex Winter and Keanu Reeves star as the title characters.
- PLASMA (46A: Liquid component of blood) In the body, blood cells are suspended in PLASMA, which makes up about 55% of blood. PLASMA itself is mostly water – about 92-95% – and contains dissolved proteins, glucose, and electrolytes. Hooray for science in the crossword!
- TIN (53A: Element with the chemical symbol Sn) The chemical element TIN has an atomic number of 50. Its chemical symbol, Sn, is from the Latin word "stannum." TIN is a soft metal, and can be bent by hand. More science!
- TUPPERWARE PARTY (54A: Gathering where food storage containers might be sold) It has been quite some time since I have been to a TUPPERWARE PARTY. The TUPPERWARE company was founded in 1946 by Earl Tupper. TUPPERWARE parties were especially popular in the 1950s-1970s.
- AARON (59A: Baseball legend Hank) I wrote about baseball great Hank AARON last month. He was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1982.
- NATO (60A: Org. with a phonetic alphabet) The NATO phonetic alphabet is a widely used radiotelephone spelling alphabet. It is comprised of 26 words, one for each letter of the alphabet. Each time the NATO alphabet is mentioned in a puzzle, I like to take that as an opportunity to review part of the alphabet. It's been a while since I've reviewed the last part of the NATO alphabet: Sierra, Tango, Uniform, Victor, Whiskey, Xray, Yankee, Zulu.
- OMEN (63A: Vultures circling, for example) This clue made me chuckle, because anytime I'm out hiking and see vultures circling, I always say to my companions, "Look alive!"
- NEED (64A: Thing categorized in Maslow's Hierarchy) Maslow's hierarchy of NEEDs is a psychology theory proposed by Abraham Maslow in 1943. Maslow's theory (which is widely used as well as contested) describes several levels of NEEDs that motivate human behavior: psychological NEEDs, safety NEEDs, belongingness and love NEEDs, esteem NEEDs, and self-actualization NEEDs.
- NINE (66A: Number of stars on "Hollywood Squares") The game show Hollywood Squares features NINE stars seated in the squares of a vertical 3 x 3 grid that resembles a tic-tac-toe board. Two contestants take turns choosing a celebrity, who is then asked a question. The contestant has the option to agree or disagree with the answer and, if correct, they win the square and it is marked with either an X or an O. One difference from tic-tac-toe, is that if the Hollywood Squares game ends in a draw, the player with the most squares wins. Hollywood Squares first aired in 1966, and has had several revivals over the years. The most recent version of Hollywood Squares premiered in January of this year. Drew Barrymore sits in the center square, and the game is hosted by Nate Burleson.
- ANKH (4D: Egyptian cross with a loop) An ANKH has a cross shape, but the upper vertical bar is replaced with a loop: ☥. This ancient Egyptian hieroglyph was used to represent life.
- ASTON (7D: ___ Martin (James Bond car)) ASTON Martin is a British company that manufactures luxury sports cars. In the 1964 movie Goldfinger, James Bond drove an ASTON Martin DB5, which marked the car's first appearance in the James Bond franchise. James Bond has driven an ASTON Martin in many of the franchise's movies, most frequently a DB5, but other models have also made appearances.
- ELK (21D: Deer on Michigan's flag) The ELK is not the only animal on Michigan's flag. The state's flag also has a moose and an eagle. In addition to three animals, Michigan's flag also contains three mottos in Latin: E Pluribus Unum (Out of many, one), Tuebor (I will defend), and Se Quæris Peninsulam Amœnam Circumspice (If you seek a pleasant peninsula, look about you).
- ORCS (28D: Tolkien villains) In the J. R. R. Tolkien works The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, ORCS are humanoid monsters that are brutish and malevolent.
- PASTRAMI (38D: Deli meat often served on rye) PASTRAMI is making back-to-back puzzle appearances, as we saw it yesterday clued as [Meat in Langer's famous #19 sandwich].
- POUNCE (43D: Strike suddenly, like a cat) Does my cat, Willow, look like she's ready to POUNCE? (No, she looks like she just woke up from a nap!)
- RAGA (55D: Melodic pattern in Indian classical music) In classical Indian music, RAGA is a melodic framework used to create mood or atmosphere. A RAGA is derived from a scale, but is more specific. Each RAGA provides a framework within which a musician may improvise. The word "RAGA" comes from the Sanskrit word for "color" or "passion."
- A few other clues I especially enjoyed:
- GEODES (39A: Rocks with sparkly centers)
- STOP (8D: "___ me if you've heard this one...")
- ANYONE (48D: "...no volunteers?")
Crossword Puzzle Theme Synopsis
- AT THE DROP OF A HAT (20A: With zero hesitation)
- TALK IS CHEAP (35A: "Actions speak louder than words")
- TUPPERWARE PARTY (54A: Gathering where food storage containers might be sold)
FOR MY NEXT TRICK: The last word of each theme answer can be paired with the word TRICK: HAT TRICK, CHEAP TRICK, and PARTY TRICK.
It didn't take me long to catch on to this puzzle's TRICKs! This is a delightful set of theme answers. I especially like AT THE DROP OF A HAT. Thank you, Matt, for this enjoyable puzzle.
One more thing today: Registration recently opened for the Boswords Summer Crossword Tournament, which will be Sunday, July 27. The tournament happens in Boston, Massachusetts, but also has an online option. The Boswords tournaments are always great! My husband and I will be solving online in the pairs division.